Our Business Performance team welcomes you to this month's newsletter. We start our newsletter off with news on the latest research studies into employee motivation. The first report looks into the linkages between worker turnover and employee engagement and reveals the reasons why employees want to jump ship. With the continued interest in performance-based pay, it is apt that our second news item reports on a recent global study on employee attitudes to performance-based pay. Our report concludes with some cautionary advice on implementing performance-based pay schemes.

This month, we also continue our popular Q & A section. We help one employee suffering a poor relationship with their manager. Our second question comes from a consultant who has written a book and is laboring over the selling price. If you have any questions that you would like answered, send them to us at submissions@businessperform.com We also encourage you to ask questions and contribute your experiences on our Business Performance blog. Enjoy!

Infogroup's research arm, ORC, recently conducted a survey of employee attitudes and intentions across the globe. The good news (depending on whether you see the glass as half full or as half empty) is that globally 57 per cent of employees are engaged.

Australia lags in terms of employee engagement, finding itself behind many other countries. The main reason for this, the report highlights, is Australian employees' stated intention to leave their current employer within 12 months. The report goes on to say that human resource practices are not the cause of this itchy feet syndrome.

The cause of our low ranking, the survey reveals, is due to two factors. The first is deficiencies in manager capability. All too many managers do not inspire employees to work more effectively, with over 30 per cent of survey respondents not answering positively to the question about manager inspiration.

In addition, managers still have a long way to go in coaching employees for performance improvement. One quarter of respondents answered negatively to the question asking whether they received regular and constructive feedback from their manager.

The second major factor reducing engagement scores is the perceived lack of career advancement. Well over half of all employees are not satisfied with internal job opportunities within their current organization.

With more that 15 years between us and the tabling of the Karpin Report – the biggest enquiry into business capability in Australia's history – it seems we still have a long distance to travel in our efforts to retain our best employees and engage them in the quest for superior performance.

Help your managers improve their communication skills and give effective feedback to their direct reports. Download our 2 Way Feedback e-book. This practical guide will help your managers, supervisors and team leaders motivate their staffs and improve performance. Find out more about 2 Way Feedback and download today.

"I have given the book to many of the managers and general managers that I coach: as a point of reference and their feedback has further collaborated my view of this valuable resource."

Their 2010 report shows that 30 per cent of employees are currently included in a pay for performance scheme. Interestingly, Gen X and Gen Y workers are much more likely to be included in such a scheme.

Of those employees not currently in a pay for performance arrangement, 37 per cent indicated that their productivity would increase if their pay was linked to performance results.

Before you rush out to implement a pay for performance scheme in your organization, consider these points:

Do you need help with implementing your new employee incentive scheme? Many implementations fail because the change process was not handled well. If you need to keep managers and employees on board throughout your organization's change journey, get a copy of our Managing Change in the Workplace guide and workbook today.

"Leslie Allan's book is such a gift to executives, leaders, managers and supervisors who want to initiate a change process in their organizations."

My boss is not satisfied with any aspect of my work. He is often in a bad mood and acts capriciously. When I try to find out his reasons for a decision, he simply dismisses my attempts to communicate. I'm going nuts.

A

Firstly, consider that the way he treats you may have more to do with his personality or what's going on in his life than with the way you perform in your job. Does he treat other competent employees the same way? If so, then don't take his brash approach personally.

Secondly, highlight to him the impact that lack of communication is having on your effectiveness as an employee. For example, you can say, "When you don't let me know who you are going to send the report to, I won't be able to adjust the format to their preferences." Stick to the facts and his observable behavior without casting aspersions on his motives or character.

Thirdly, when he complains about your work, ask him for specifics. Let him know that you can't correct the deficiency for next time if you don't have anything specific to go on.

Fourthly, compliment him when he acts appropriately or considers others, no matter how small his gracious act may be. If he returns a report to your in tray, for example, thank him for it, without sounding patronizing. Positive feedback will only encourage him to act more considerately in the future.

If you keep up with this approach, you may have some success in changing his behavior towards you. If this strategy fails and you get to the point where you can't stand his behavior any longer, it may then be time to look for a new opportunity elsewhere.

Find out more about giving and receiving effective feedback in your workplace by checking out our easy to read e-book, 2 Way Feedback.

Other factors to consider are making your e-book easy to purchase with multiple purchasing options and having a reasonable returns policy. If you need assistance publishing your e-book, contact us at office@businessperform.com to find out how we can help you.

If you have previously purchased Training Tracker Version 1.0 or Succession Planner Version 1.0, you can obtain a free update to the latest version. Visit the Training Tracker product web page and the Succession Planner product web page to find out how to get your complimentary new version.

If you are wondering what all the buzz is about with our new, enhanced versions, download a free demo version from the Training Tracker product web page and the Succession Planner product web page.

In fact, many of our products feature a demo of some sort. Download the free introductory chapters to our e-books and toolkits. Simply visit the product's web page and look for the Free Downloads! section. If you have a question, we encourage you to drop us a line at products@businessperform.com We answer most queries within 24 hours.

Visit our web site at www.businessperform.com for lots of expert guidance and practical tools designed to help you get ahead of your competition. Also, be sure to pass this newsletter on to friends and colleagues who want to stay up with what's on. From all of us here on the Business Performance team, we wish you a productive month and look forward to communicating with you again soon.